Kelly Marie Tran’s ‘The Last Jedi’ Audition With John Boyega Is Adorable as Heck

Rian Johnson introduced some great new characters, planets (Salty Fury Road is the best) and ideas in his Star Wars sequel, but one stood out above all the rest: Resistance grease monkey Rose Tico, played by newcomer Kelly Marie Tran. The actress brought her real-life fangirl enthusiasm to the role of Finn’s new cohort (and love interest?), delivering a sweet, scene-stealing performance in The Last Jedi. And thanks to Lucasfilm, we have a little more Tran to love with this video of the actress’ audition with John Boyega.

Unsurprisingly, it is adorable. From the moment Tran introduces herself to her chemistry read with Boyega, you can see exactly why Johnson loves her so much — and why we do, too.

Tran has been absolutely awesome on the Star Wars press tour, bringing her infectious (and super relatable) enthusiasm everywhere she goes. Like in these pics from The Last Jedi premiere, where Tran saw a young girl dressed as Rose:

Or like this interview with Vulture, where she talks about how she helped put feathers on the Porgs and helped out with putting hair on the Fathiers:

I also got to put hair on the falthiers! I think that I was given a gift, in that I just didn’t know there were rules. I didn’t know that it was weird to always want to be there, because literally, even if I wasn’t working, I would just be around. People were like, “Don’t you have things to do?” But I would go on set and watch every day and walk into different departments unannounced, like, “Hey, what are you guys doing?” I went to the costume department, and there’s just a huge room with hundreds and hundreds of costumes, and every single one was so detailed — it was incredible! I don’t know how to explain this experience other than to say it was like someone had told me Hogwarts was real.

And her (and Daisy Ridley’s) response when asked if she’d rather date Finn or Poe:

Then there’s this video she took in a London pub, where she overheard people at the next table geeking out over her character:

A few days ago, I was at a pub eating pie with a friend, when this DELIGHTFUL group of people came in. They sat down at the table next to me and started discussing The Last Jedi — in minute detail. My friend started filming as I listened, and she captured my reaction as they discussed Rose. After lots of creepy listening — and eating — I awkwardly walked over to introduce myself. They couldn’t be more lovely. What an incredible moment in a string of incredible moments I’ve been experiencing lately. ❤️ In my 8 years as a struggling actor, I came to the realization that the hardest thing to obtain from another human being is their genuine interest. Sometimes, getting someone to listen to your story — your idea — is really hard. It’s pretty impossible for a movie to get made, and there are many stories that don’t make it into a book or a film or a television show. I know how lucky I am to be a part of something that people love, to be able to act and tell stories at all. And one of my greatest joys has been creepily listening to conversations about TLJ when I’m out and about. Regardless of opinion or preference, it’s still a topic of discussion. And no matter who we are, no matter where we’re from, if we can really listen and have a conversation about something — anything — it can really open up a door. It can open us up to new ideas and new understanding. So thanks, wonderful people, for watching and dissecting and discussing. It makes me happy to know that we made something that’s starting a dialogue. My heart is so full, and my goals are so clear. Let’s tell more stories. Let’s have more conversations. Let’s get to know lives and worlds different from our own. And most of all — let’s open our hearts and accept our differences. More love, less hate. Also, more pies, because THEY ARE AMAZING. ❤️ PS @catmahoney87 — thanks for not thinking it was creepy when I went through my insta tags to find this photo so I could write about this moment. ❤️

A post shared by Kelly Marie Tran (@kellymarietran) on Dec 18, 2017 at 8:13am PST

AND THEN SHE TOOK A PHOTO WITH THEM:

So. We're sitting in the pub post Star Wars, discussing the film in minute detail as we are wont to do ... AND THE WOMAN FROM THE NEXT TABLE TURNS TO US AND SAYS "OH HI, I'M ROSE FROM THE FILM AND I'VE LOVED LISTENING TO YOUR CONVERSATION FOR THE LAST HOUR." THIS LITERALLY JUST HAPPENED. @kellymarietran you are the loveliest and the coolest. #starwars #starstruck #leicestersquare #thelastjedi #asifthisjusthappened

A post shared by Cat Mahoney (@catmahoney87) on Dec 16, 2017 at 5:18am PST

And then there’s her recent interview with the LA Times, where she told our pal Jen Yamato what she did the Monday after she got back from The Last Jedi premiere in London:

I went to the ArcLight yesterday and saw three movies by myself. It was awesome. I saw “Shape of Water,” which I freaking loved. I saw “I, Tonya,” which I also loved. And then I saw... “[The Last] Jedi,” because it’s really weird to watch yourself, and I want to watch it enough to the point where I can forget it’s me. I’m having a hard time doing that at the moment.

And when Jen responded, “You went…by yourself?”, Tran said, “Yeah, dude! I love watching movies by myself!” Same girl, same.